The Hicksville Fire Department, recognizing the need for more advanced chemical detection capabilities, recently acquired a new multi-gas detector device that has the ability to detect numerous toxic chemicals using photo-ionization detection (PID) technology.

PID technology, acquired by the department last month, enhances the safety factor for the volunteer responders by identifying toxic chemicals at low levels that cannot be detected by any other means. PIDs are the only devices currently available to detect atmospheres deficient in oxygen, flammable gases or vapors and have sensors for specific toxic gases (carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide) and a detector for a broad range of toxic chemicals using the PID technology.

"The technology has been around a while, but we did not want to jump in right away," said Owen Magee, public information officer for the Hicksville Fire Department. "We wanted to wait and see how good it was. The fire marshal's office has been using it for several years and we are finding out from other departments and Haz-Mat teams that they really do work." Last month, the Jericho Fire Department also received two PID devices.

The PID device will also help the department when it is called to respond to hazardous materials alarms, including carbon monoxide alarms, gas leaks and investigations for other unknown or suspicious odor calls, solvents they were previously unable to test.

"In addition to the standard detection of oxygen content, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide and flammable gas, the PID comes in handy in that it detects what a normal detector doesn't," said Magee. "PIDs detect industrials solvents and pick up volatile organic compounds, such as vapors." He added, "What separates PID from other detectors is that it picks up a lot of the new chemicals on the market that the standard four-gas detector cannot pick up. Some of the older ones we have don't detect the new things that are out there."

On a daily basis, this department may be called upon to respond to incidents where hazardous materials may be present. "With the regular sensors, we would go into a building and not come up with anything definitive," said Magee. With all different solvents in the area, particularly within the vicinity of the Cantiague Rock Road site, the PID will be put to good use by the department.

While PID technology enables the department to quickly determine the type of material present, it also enhances the margin of safety for responders by being able to sense the presence of hazardous materials at extremely low levels. By being able to sense these toxic chemicals, the likelihood of unnecessarily putting members at risk is greatly reduced. "When you turn them on," said Magee, "[The device] reads everything."

In addition to compact size and weight - about five inches by three inches - fire officials said the PID is easy to use and ideal for use in confined spaces, investigations following the activation of household carbon monoxide detectors and for unknown chemical spills that may be encountered by emergency responders. "With them, we have the capability to do remote sampling," said Magee. "We can attach a hose to them and use them in a vent or down a manhole."

PIDs cost a little over $4,000 each and must be used by trained technicians, including those from Hicksville's Haz-Mat team. "We don't need a whole mess of them because the person using it has to be a technician," said Magee. "If you are going to give a guy a meter, he needs to know how to read it."